Formerly known as G Suite, Google Workspace offers comprehensive business products to help companies collaborate and communicate seamlessly. Google regularly adds new tools to its collection of work tools, including, most recently, Google AI. Here are the core tools available in Google Workspace and how to get started using them.
What’s included in Google Workspace?
More than 14 apps are available in Google Workspace; here are the core features that most businesses use.
Gmail
Gmail is perhaps Google Workspace’s most popular product. Many business owners and employees already have a personal Gmail account; creating a company account means your team can get started with little to no learning curve. Businesses that pay for Google Workspace can get a professional email address with their own domain name and create group mailing lists (e.g., help@yourcompany.com). Gmail integrates with other key apps in the Google Workspace suite of tools to help you work more efficiently.
Google Drive
Drive offers shared cloud storage for your company. It’s where you can store key documents, presentations, images, and spreadsheets. Users can upload files directly or create new ones from Google’s native apps (such as Docs and Sheets). Security settings allow you to share documents, and with flexible storage options, you will always have enough space for your files.
Google Meet
Meet is Google’s video meeting tool. Teams can easily join video conference calls without downloading a new interface, setting up an account, or adding a plug-in. Meet was recently combined with Google Duo, the app that lets you ring a personal account or phone number directly. Now, you can use Meet to make encrypted legacy calls, meetings, or calls directly to a Google Workspace.
Meet has handy features such as live captions, breakout rooms, hand-raising, and safety controls so hosts can moderate discussions. If you’re collaborating live on a project and need to discuss it in person, you can join a Meet call directly from Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
[Read more: Grow with Google: How Entrepreneurs Can Stay Organized to Grow Their Business]
Google AI
Google Workspace plans now include access to the company’s AI tools, Gemini and NotebookLM. Gemini is Google’s core AI offering, accessible as a stand-alone free generative AI tool and as a feature integrated into Gmail and Chat. Depending on your plan, Gemini AI capabilities can be used across the Workspace apps, including Docs and Meet.
NotebookLM is included in all but the most basic Google Workspace plans. “NotebookLM is an AI-powered research assistant that can help you get to critical insights faster and easier, all grounded in the information you provide,” described the company. Upload documents to get a summary of instant insights from the research material, or ask the tool to generate an audio file to summarize the content for you.
Google Calendar
Calendar is, obviously, Google’s calendar tool for scheduling meetings, appointments, and events. Like all tools in Google Workplace, its biggest advantage is that it integrates seamlessly with Gmail, Drive, Contacts, Sites, and Meet—meaning it can suggest additions to your Calendar based on email correspondence, add a Meet link automatically for team calls, and add documents from your Drive to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Calendar added a sidebar with widgets for Google Keep and Google Tasks, two apps that help you stay organized. Keep is a free note-taking app that lets you capture ideas, lists, and to-dos. Tasks is a similar concept, allowing you to create tasks from Gmail and Calendar and set due dates.
Google Chat
Chat is an instant messaging tool that can be used right in Gmail. Chat is now combined with Spaces, a feature for sharing files, assigning tasks, and reviewing message history. Spaces are perfect for groups who want to work on a project or communicate around a shared interest. Think of Chat as more of a 1:1 direct communication tool, while Spaces can be organized by topic. Both can be used to collaborate on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
Docs, Sheets, and Slides are Google’s answer to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, respectively. The key difference is that Docs, Sheets, and Slides are hosted in Google Drive—meaning they are cloud-based, so members of your team can access and edit these assets from anywhere. Multiple people can work on a document at the same time, providing everyone with the most up-to-date version and making collaboration much easier. Like Microsoft, Google offers templates in all three products for whatever you’re trying to create.
[Read more: 6 Document Collaboration Tools for Working Remotely]
Google Forms
Forms is a user-friendly tool to create surveys and collect feedback. Customize a questionnaire and collect responses in a Google Sheet for easy analysis. Drag and drop questions in a number of different formats and share your form in an email, a link, or a website.
Gemini is Google’s core AI offering, accessible as a stand-alone free generative AI tool and as a feature integrated into Gmail and Chat.
What to do before creating a Google Workspace account
Before you commit to the process of setting up your Google Workspace, make sure you have all the prerequisites ready to go. You will need:
- A credit card. Google offers a free trial for its Workspace plans, but you’ll need to submit a credit card number to get access.
- An email address. While you will be setting up a business email with Google Workspace, you’ll need an alternate address for account recovery purposes.
- A domain name. The website domain you choose will form part of your Gmail address (@yourcompany.com, for example). You can access Google’s apps without a domain name, but you will need it to professionalize your email address.
Most experts recommend verifying your domain name before setting up your workspace. This support page from Google walks you through the process of verifying your domain using your MX (mail exchange) records from your host, e.g., GoDaddy, Enom, Ionos, DreamHost, or another domain registrar.
How to create a Google Workspace account for your business
When you select “Get Started" on your pricing tier of choice, Google Workspace will lead you through the sign-up process. Fill in your basic information, including your company name, number of employees, and desired email address. Google will also ask for your verified domain name. Once you’ve selected or connected your domain, it’s time to register your email.
Create your email address
Next, choose an email address. This address will also be your Google username that is used across Google Workspace apps and services. Establish a naming convention that you can use consistently across your business. For instance, maybe you choose your first name and last initial, or maybe you choose your first name and full last name @yourcompany.com. Whatever combination you select, make it easy to understand and memorable for customers who want to get in touch.
Pay for Google Workspace and open your account
Now, you can either select your free 14-day trial or share your payment information with Google to get started. Once you’ve completed the checkout process, you can begin to migrate information from your personal account to your business account.
Connect your personal account
You can skip these steps if you’ve never had a Gmail account. But if you had a personal account with Microsoft Outlook, Gmail (e.g., yourname@gmail.com), or another webmail provider, you might want to migrate your data to Google Workspace.
First, set up your old email address to start forwarding mail to your new Google Workspace business inbox. Here are the instructions for setting up automatic forwarding:
- On your computer, open Gmail using the account you want to forward messages from. You can only forward messages for a single Gmail address, not an email group or alias.
- In the top right, click "Settings," then "See all settings."
- Click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab.
- In the "Forwarding" section, click "Add a forwarding address."
- Enter the email address you want to forward messages to.
- Click "Next," "Proceed," "OK."
- A verification message will be sent to that address. Click the verification link in that message.
- Go back to the settings page for the Gmail account you want to forward messages from, and refresh your browser.
- Click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab.
- In the "Forwarding" section, select "Forward a copy of incoming mail to."
- Choose what you want to happen with the Gmail copy of your emails. We recommend "Keep Gmail's copy in the Inbox."
- At the bottom of the page, click "Save Changes."
Google offers a data migration service to migrate your email from your Gmail inbox to your business inbox. Not only can this service migrate your emails, but it can also carry over your contacts and calendar. Note that there’s a separate process for migrating information from Microsoft Outlook, but like the data migration service, it’s relatively easy to follow the prompts.
Pricing and additional products
These core products are included in all Google Workspace subscriptions (plus a few others). Pricing for Google Workspace starts at $7 per user per month. Pricing increases as you add storage space, AI capabilities, e-signature tools, and if you want video meetings with more than 100 participants.
Which plan is right for your business? It depends on your cash flow, number of users, and business needs. The key differences in Google Workspace plans are storage space, number of people who can join a Google Meet session, and administrator controls. For instance, the maximum number of Google Meet participants for the Business Starter plan is 100, compared to 500 for Business Plus.
The other consideration is your cash flow. “A Google Workspace administrator has the option to choose between monthly or annual account payment plans,” wrote TechRepublic. “In a stable situation with sufficient capital and cash flow, the annual option makes the most financial sense.” New businesses and startups, however, might opt for the month-to-month option to build in some flexibility.
Ultimately, Google Workspace offers affordable, integrated solutions that make it easier for teams to collaborate remotely and in the office.
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